Zelda's Awakening
by Leina16
Summary: A retelling of the final memory in Breath of the Wild. Spoilers ahead!


**It's been a long time since I last uploaded anything... but what can I say, Breath of the Wild has inspired me! I absolutely loved the main storyline and have spent hours exploring the massive world. I just had to write a story about it! Final warning: there are spoilers for the memory quest in this story! If you're still here, read on!**

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Guardians combed the field, searching relentlessly for the princess and her champion. Link and Zelda rested briefly behind a fallen guardian, trying to catch their breath and figure out how to escape this situation. They had been on the run ever since Calamity Ganon had possessed the guardians and the Divine Beasts. With their allies trapped inside the Divine Beasts and hundreds of guardians hunting them down, Link and Zelda didn't stand a chance against Ganon and had been forced to flee. Since then, Link had valiantly fought his way through dozens of enemies, but there were always more to replace them. As Link grew more tired he was unable to dodge every attack the guardians threw at him, and it was starting to take its toll.

Link leaned heavily on the Master Sword as the latest rush of adrenaline wore off and the many injuries he sustained began to sting. Zelda looked at him in concern, overwhelmingly aware that he wouldn't be in this position if he didn't have a duty to look after her. She was a burden to him, now more than ever, and she had never felt more unworthy of his unwavering devotion. She stepped closer to him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Link, save yourself! Go! I'll be fine... don't worry about me! Run!" They both knew this was a lie, but she had to try to get him to leave her because perhaps then he would stand a chance. He would be so much better off if he didn't have to protect her. Many of his injuries came from moments where he willingly took a hit that was directed toward her.

Link was breathing heavily, his hand pressed to his side where a particularly nasty bruise had formed around a large gash. A guardian had backhanded him with one of its sharp legs and sent him flying, and he was certain that several of his ribs were broken. The wound was bleeding steadily, staining his tunic a deep red. He couldn't run even if he wanted to, but leaving Zelda to fend for herself wasn't an option for him anyway. "Princess... I took an oath to protect you... even at the cost of my own life. I will not abandon you now."

"Oath be damned, Link!" Zelda cried, her voice tinged with desperation and the beginnings of hysteria. "I won't let you die because of my own failures! Please..."

Link's gaze softened, his hand coming up to rest on hers. "I must admit... my desire to protect you isn't entirely because of my oath, Princess."

Zelda furrowed her brow in confusion. "Then why...?"

Link hesitated, then opened his mouth to respond when suddenly a guardian spotted them. Zelda gasped as it quickly scrambled over its fallen comrades and towered over them. Summoning every last dredge of his remaining strength, Link pushed himself to his feet in front of Zelda, stumbling back a bit before raising his sword protectively. Zelda's hand came to rest on his shoulder blade, offering what little support she could.

"No..." she breathed, gazing up helplessly at the guardian as it prepared its devastating attack. The red line that indicated the trajectory of its laser attack appeared and was aimed directly at Link. Zelda's mind went blank, every fiber of her being completely consumed by the desire to protect Link. Without thinking, she pushed Link behind her, stepping forward to take the hit herself. The stunned and weakened knight could do nothing but watch in horror as his princess stood bravely in front of the guardian.

"NO!" Zelda screamed, her hand flying up instinctively. The image of the Triforce appeared on the back of her hand and a brilliant, golden light shone around the pair, growing until it encompassed all of the guardians within the field. As the light faded, the guardians seemed to shudder for a moment before the remnants of Calamity Ganon dissipated and they fell to the ground motionless.

The following silence was deafening. Zelda stared at her hand in wonder, unable to believe what had just occurred. "Was... was that... the power...?"

Just then Link's strength failed him and he collapsed, letting out a pained grunt. Zelda was brought out of her trance, turning to see the source of the noise. At the sight of her champion lying on the ground unmoving, curled in on himself, her heart clenched in fear. She gasped and hurried to his side.

"No, no...!" She cried as she knelt beside him. "Link! Get up!" She pulled him into her lap, one hand supporting his shoulders and the other resting on his leg. She sighed in relief when he coughed; perhaps they could save him yet. Their eyes met and Zelda tried to give him a reassuring smile, gazing at him tenderly. "You're going to be just fine," she whispered tremulously.

Link smiled faintly at her, his gaze soft. "You did it..." he sighed, a hint of pride in his voice.

Zelda grasped his hand, offering a shaky smile in return. "So I did... I only wish I had figured it out sooner..." She glanced regretfully at the wound on his side.

Link's face suddenly hardened and he reached up and grasped her upper arm, his eyes burning into hers as though he were trying to wordlessly convey an important message. "Zelda..." he coughed. The princess gasped. Link had never called her by her name before. As the captain of her personal guard, he had always been careful to show the utmost respect, never failing to refer to her as "Princess" or some other honorific. Such familiarity meant he wasn't speaking to his princess; he was speaking to _her_ , the young woman whom he had come to know as they traveled all over Hyrule together.

"I-I'm sorry... I failed you..." he managed before he fell limp in her arms, his hand sliding down her arm to rest across his chest.

Time stopped as Zelda stared at Link's motionless form in disbelief, unable to comprehend the thought of a world without him. Utter hopelessness threatened to overwhelm her as she felt truly alone for the first time in years. Link had been her constant companion throughout her journey to unlock her power to seal Calamity Ganon, and now he was gone. How could she face the monster by herself? Suddenly the dam broke and her tears flowed freely as she buried her face in Link's chest, sobbing at the loss of her faithful knight. "No, Link, please..." she cried. "Please don't leave me all alone!I need you... You've always been so patient and understanding with me... and you've become my dearest friend. I'm so sorry... if I had just been able to access my power sooner-!" She broke off, unable to continue, her hand clenching the fabric of his tunic tightly. After a few more moments of despair, the Master Sword pulsed with a gentle light and Zelda could hear it speaking to her in her mind.

She raised her head in surprise as she processed the information it told her. "What? So he can... he can still be saved?" Her heart began to pound, hope flaring up inside her as she looked down at Link's bruised face.

"Princess!" A sharp cry sounded from across the field. Zelda tore her gaze away from Link and looked up to see a couple of Sheikah warriors approaching her quickly. They stopped several feet away and knelt down, showing their respect. "Princess, are you all right?" One of them asked anxiously.

Zelda hesitated briefly, thinking about what the Master Sword told her. Her mind made up, she fixed her determined gaze on the Sheikah with her mouth set in a firm line. "Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection. If you don't get him there immediately, we are going to lose him forever. Is that clear?!"

The Sheikah looked somewhat taken aback, exchanging glances before nodding resolutely.

"So make haste and go!" she continued urgently. "His life is now in your hands!"

One of the Sheikah spoke up as they stepped forward to take the fallen knight. "But Princess, what about you?"

"There is no time!" Zelda cried. "Link is your top priority as of this moment. He is our only hope to defeat the Calamity." She looked down at Link's face one last time, bringing her hand to cup his cheek. Her thumb brushed across it absently as she memorized his features.

"Understood," the warrior replied as he and his companion gently lifted the hero from her arms. Zelda stood and nodded at them before they turned and carried Link away quickly. She watched them go until she could no longer see them.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, the princess turned to where the Master Sword lay on the ground. She grasped it by the hilt and hefted it up, holding it reverently. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thanks to you, there is still hope. Now it is up to me to do my part, to hold Calamity Ganon back until Link recovers. But first, we must get you to a safe place."

Setting her sights on where she knew the Lost Woods lay in the distance, the princess began the long trek to the Great Deku Tree. There the Master Sword would rest safely until Link could claim it a second time. As she thought about the difficult path that lay ahead of her, Zelda prayed that it wouldn't be too long until her hero opened his eyes once again.

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 **I hope you all enjoyed that oneshot! Can we talk about Breath of the Wild for a minute? I just loved the relationship between Link and Zelda that they created in this story. I thought Zelda had some nice character development (she's such a nerd!), especially as she struggled with her insecurities and self-doubts. And the way she goes from resenting Link, to respecting him and treating him as a friend, to loving him (the fact that Zelda loves Link is official, which you learn when you complete all of the shrine side quests from Kass)? So great. BotW is definitely one of my favorite Zelda games!**

 **Anyway, I'd love to get some feedback so please leave a review, and let me know what you thought about Breath of the Wild! :)**


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